


Fleeting Moments

by mac_haze



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-25
Updated: 2014-05-25
Packaged: 2018-01-26 09:54:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1684121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mac_haze/pseuds/mac_haze
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This was where she belonged. She would never be any better than dirty dishes and black eyes. But she took pride in the notion that she was the driving force behind Lip even if he never recognized it. Things would get better for Lip, but things for her were as good as they were ever going to get.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fleeting Moments

**Author's Note:**

> Set during 4x12 and written because there's more to Mandy than what's captured on camera
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, I just play with 'em

She had been on the clock for close to three hours and had made exactly thirty two dollars and twelve cents in tips. Five of those dollars were in various coins strewn haphazardly across tables, landing exactly where they had fallen after being yanked from pockets.

She hated the late shift. The only people around were truckers looking to cop a feel when she passed by their tables to refill coffee or clear dishes away. Their sleazy smiles trying to convince her they were doing her a favor by taking advantage. She had no idea how she managed to hide her disgust. 

It was around two in the morning when a group of university students made themselves comfortable in a booth in her section. There were six of them, shoved in shoulder-to-shoulder only to realize that they should have removed their coats before sitting.

She watched them for a minute while she waited for a new pot of coffee to brew. The boys dressed in their best suits and the girls in white lacey dresses with white flower wreaths in their hair. She wondered absently where they came from. Some party where there was actual cloth on the tables and the alcohol was served in real crystal. Maybe they came from a place where boys held doors and stumbled over innocent forms of flattery.

She looked back to the pot of coffee to see it ready and switched the machine off.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered what happy felt like.

There weren’t enough menus on the table when they sat down, and two of them were currently sharing, each trying to see their options. Although, the closer she got to their table the easier it was to see that sharing a menu was an excuse to cuddle closer together in the booth. 

She greeted them as warmly as she could in hopes that the smiles they offered each other would also be offered to her, and proceeded to give them the nightly special speech. She reached for the coffee cup on the far side of the table and glanced at one of the boys just as his eyes met hers. 

Everything stopped. 

She stumbled over her rehearsed specials and almost dropped the cup she was holding. 

She hadn’t even recognized him.

The only one at the table who noticed her stumble was the brunette with glasses. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the brunette’s eyes flick back and forth between them. From what she could tell, the look wasn’t calculating or suspicious, but a look that suggested she would file the information away for later. 

She told the table she would be back in a few minutes to take their order and walked as fast as she could to the counter.

“Mandy!” 

She winced at the sound of her name.

“Mandy, hey!”

His tone was hushed as he tried not to draw attention to the fact that he was chasing her across the diner.

When he finally caught up to her, it took all of ten seconds for her to take in his Armani suit and how at home he looked in it.

“Do you want some more coffee, sir?”

She asked the question before thinking.

It had seemed natural to respond to him that way. Lip wearing that fancy suit made him look like he never belonged in their neighborhood to begin with. She always knew he was different, that he was meant for better than what he was brought up to believe.

“No, no. I didn’t know you worked here.”

He kept glancing back in the direction of his table and she refused to allow any sort of animosity to rise. She would do the same if their positions were reversed. 

“I’ll be back to your table in just a minute.”

She busied herself refilling coffee.

Tried not to meet his eyes. 

She shoved another three dollars in her apron, as he leaned over the counter and said just soft enough for her to hear:

“You look great.”

She took a step back, caught between gratitude and humiliation. Compliments were hard to believe holding a half empty pot of coffee and wearing a stained apron.

“You want something else?”

She wished she could have kept the resignation out of her voice, but it was just too hard. 

What could she possibly say to him when she hadn’t recognized him to begin with? What could they possibly have in common in this moment? 

He was completely unknown to her and she felt something crack deep inside herself. 

There was confusion written on his face when she refused to acknowledge him. He had to understand. She knew how pathetic she looked with caked on concealer to hide the bruises and the waitress uniform that was an inch and a half too short for her. The last thing she wanted was to embarrass him, or worse, want him to be judged based on the relationship the two of them had. Lip should be with someone he could be proud of, and Mandy was ashamed to admit that she wasn’t what he deserved.

The group he was with didn’t look like they had any problem bigger than being late for class or forgetting to study for an exam. They had no idea what it was like to sleep with their bedroom door locked or what it was like to turn the oven up full blast in winter because they couldn’t afford to pay the gas bill. 

No. Those others that Lip came in with were clean and bright. They were the kinds of people Lip needed to show him that there was promise beyond a yard full of broken glass and cigarette butts. 

She hadn’t realized that somewhere along the way, she allowed desperation to creep into her voice when understanding finally dawned on Lip’s face.

“More Sugar? Cream?” 

She ignored the way her voice cracked.

“No. We’re good.”

She nodded, unable to meet his eyes as she backed away toward the kitchen door. 

“Thank you.”

A few months ago, she would have given anything to hear him thank her, but now those words seemed a cruel taunt regardless of their intention.

She allowed a momentary glance at Lip’s retreating form. There was no better time to realize that the sight of his turned back made her feel more alone than she had ever been. 

She took a deep breath, needing something to steady herself after accepting that moment was goodbye, and the only thing that was left of them was a handful of fleeting moments that only she would remember. 

Lip was moving on, just as he was meant to.

One of her customers sitting further down at the counter, shouted after his carrot cake. She nodded at him and turned to retrieve a piece from the pastry case, smeared with greasy fingerprints. Sliding the case door shut, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the glass and stopped short. 

This was where she belonged. She would never be any better than dirty dishes and black eyes. But she took pride in the notion that she was the driving force behind Lip even if he never recognized it. Things would get better for Lip, but things for her were as good as they were ever going to get.

If there was anyone who deserved to leave South Side, it was Lip. She never wanted to see him waste what he had like so many others before him. As she placed the cake in front of her customer and cast a glance towards Lip’s table, she hoped that the best part of her, the part that hadn’t been beaten, might leave with him.


End file.
